


Such a Curious Creature...

by DragonGirl218



Series: The Outsider in the Mortal World [1]
Category: Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Low Chaos, M/M, One Shot, Romance, The Void, sort of part of an au i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:58:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonGirl218/pseuds/DragonGirl218
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After rescuing Emily and getting her on the track to being Empress, Corvo Attano doesn't have much time to think about the Void.  That is, until one night when the Outsider wishes to have a few sincere words with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such a Curious Creature...

**Author's Note:**

> A friend dragged me into shipping Corvo and Outsider, so this is the result. Also includes a few minor headcanons so if anything seems off, that's probably the reason. Also the first of probably many stories set in an AU where Outsider becomes buddy-buddy with Corvo and Emily and shenanigans ensue.

It had been a long day for Corvo Attano. Of course, it had been an equally long day for Emily, who was trying to learn the ins and outs of being an Empress as quick as she could. For the time being there were advisors and politicians to handle the fine details of the Empire. Corvo made sure to keep an eye on every one of them; he had already gone through hell to make sure that Emily could rule and he surely wasn’t going to let another Daud end her reign before it officially began in earnest. Still, it had been a long, hard day of work, and it didn’t take long for Corvo to fall asleep that night.

Soon after he “awoke” in a strange yet familiar world that he had not been to since he had successfully rescued Emily: the Void. He knew that only one being could have brought him there though he knew not the reason why nor where the entity was. What he knew was that there was a path of floating stones in front of him and no other viable way to go. He ran his right hand through his long, messy black hair with a small sigh before he held out his left hand, channeled magic into the Mark on the back of that hand, then released the magic to Blink across the path.

At the end was a larger chunk of floating rock, about the size of a grand dining room – in fact, it looked as though the central room with the large spread of food had been lifted from the masked ball that Corvo had infiltrated at the request of the Loyalists, complete with a few guests frozen in time, as tended to happen in the Void. Corvo was not entirely sure why these strange snapshots of the real world manifested there, nor did he know if it was intentional or simply a random happenstance. Regardless, he was understandably confused by the sight and quirked an eyebrow as he contemplated what to do next. There were no other paths and the one he took had floated away, so there was nowhere else to go.

“Well now, what a lovely setting for our first reunion in quite some time, wouldn’t you agree, Dearest Corvo?”

Corvo recognized the voice instantly – really, who else would be talking to him there anyway? – and spun round to lay eyes on the Outsider. The Outsider looked as young as ever, though Corvo knew not to underestimate the teenager with orbs of shadow for eyes and tendrils of space itself seemingly keeping him floating above the surface of the rock. He hesitantly clasped his right hand over the Mark on his left. Why would the Outsider meet with him again? He hoped it wasn’t a sign of more impending doom.

The Outsider noticed the gesture, as well as Corvo’s nervous expression, and feigned a hurt posture. "Really Corvo, you think I brought you here and put out this beautiful setting from your world just to turn around and deliver you bad news?“ He scoffed and waggled his index finger chidingly. "Frankly, you ought to know that I wouldn’t warn you of anything anyway.” He shrugged before he disappeared in a cloud of darkness, only to reappear mere feet in front of Corvo. The Outsider hovered much closer to the ground than usual such that the two could see eye to eye.

For the first time, Corvo noted that the Outsider was actually much shorter than he was. In hindsight, it made sense given the Void god’s young teenage appearance. "For what purpose have you brought me to your realm?“ Corvo inquired. His voice was a rich baritone; on the one hand a little rough from disuse due to his tendency not to speak unnecessarily, yet on the other still melodic from the Serkonan accent he had kept despite his many years in Gristol.

A faint, genuine smile tugged at the corner of the Outsider’s lips though he made sure not to let it show for long. "Ah yes, I had almost forgotten. You originally hail from Serkonos, the same as that Daud fellow. Of the two, I would say that I prefer your accent much more than his, however. Well, really, I prefer you in general,” he stated matter-of-factly. "You are so much more interesting than he was. I thought he’d be amusing to observe, but frankly, his behavior was so typical; yours on the other hand…“ he trailed off and shuddered slightly in delight while merely thinking of Corvo’s adventures. Despite all the pain he had endured, despite all the power he had been given, Corvo remained adamant about not killing a soul; it was something that the Outsider had not seen in all his thousands of years of existence, and even the more primal knowledge of the Void barely gave him any more instances of similar humans.

A slight blush spread across Corvo’s face, much to his chagrin. To hear praise from a being like the Outsider was strange and unexpected, yet it also left him with a warmth in his chest. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Outsider thought of him as a novel toy; but then, a mere mortal like himself could never even dream of being the favorite anything of a deity-like entity. Plus, something in his intuition told him that it might be slightly more than that. He’d only seen glimpses of emotion from the Avatar of the Void during his mission, so to see such relatively intense emotion was special.

The Outsider noticed that Corvo’s cheeks had gone pink and silently wondered what had caused that reaction. Surely it couldn’t have been him, could it? "Oh, right, I have yet to answer your question,” he said in sudden realization. "I spend so much time here, alone with naught but the Void, that when I bring visitors I oft ramble on about this and that.“ The Outsider drifted away towards the display of food a ways, though he kept his elevation steady. "Put simply, Dearest Corvo, I have two reasons for bringing you here tonight. One, to officially celebrate your success at saving the Little Empress. Two, to see you in the flesh once more. My powers of observation are informative, but there’s something about interaction that’s simply much more intriguing.” The Outsider crossed his arms and nodded twice to signify that his thoughts were complete.

Corvo was taken aback by the Outsider’s purported intentions. He took a step back as he processed the information. Could that really be it? The Outsider had been so distant and detached for the most part previously. "You took me from my dreams to congratulate me in person?“ he asked incredulously. It didn’t fit his knowledge of the Outsider. Though admittedly, he really didn’t know terribly much about the boyish entity, did he?

"Well, I had intended to congratulate you in your world, but you never set up any shrines like I’d hoped,” the Outsider commented blandly, which was then followed by a shrug. "I suppose your religious officials still consider that heresy though, so perhaps I shouldn’t have expected much,“ he added in that same tone. "Really, I do hope you could at least ask the Little Empress to change that. I don’t want a whole country worshipping me, but I’d rather like to visit my Chosens in your world more easily – which mostly means I’d like to visit you as the others aren’t terribly interesting, but with your connection to the Royal Family, you’d be under scrutiny unless it’s changed I imagine.”

Once more warmth flared up in Corvo’s cheeks and chest. This all felt surreal to him. Yet something within him stirred as the Outsider spoke, and for the first time he really appreciated the being’s physical body. The short, neat brown hair, those hauntingly beautiful voids for eyes, it was a sort of otherworldly charm. "Outsider, if it would not overstep my bounds, I wish to ask you something.“

"You’ve done little else so far and no ill has befallen you,” the Outsider retorted simply.

That was a fair point, Corvo had to admit. "Truthfully, what are your feelings towards me?“ he asked as his gaze fell down and to the side partway through the question. Corvo was not a stranger to romance, but this was one of the oddest situations he’d been put into and if he was wrong he’d be supremely embarrassed.

The Outsider gave pause at that. He placed his hand over his chin in thought. "It should be no surprise that I find you captivating; I’ve made that clear enough that I sincerely hope you’ve caught on,” he said with a hint of snark in his normally dull voice. "Beyond that, I am…uncertain,“ he added. For the first time, the Avatar of the Void was visibly unsure of himself. It had been a long, long time since he’d had to consider something so human as his own emotions and with the nigh-infinite power of the Void inside of him, he didn’t know if he could even feel such things any more.

He crossed his legs as if to sit, though the Outsider still floated at a height to maintain eye contact with Corvo. Well, if he hadn’t closed his eyes in concentration, at least. He looked within himself, past the swirling aura of his magic, through the pitch black Void, until he found a glimmer of his human heart which shone through the chaos. "I am fascinated by you, Corvo Attano. I have learned much of what humans can be capable of from you. I consider you an equal, for your mind is more complex than others.” He went silent as he dug deeper and found a warmth. The thought of Corvo pierced through the icy Void of his being and filled his chest with a small warmth the likes of which he hadn’t felt since before the ritual long ago. His cheeks slowly turned ashen as a blush spread and he opened his eyes to look at Corvo. "When I think of you, it is like a tiny candle flame is lit within my chest. It is a foreign concept to one such as I. The Void is dark and cold and endless, and I am the Void, and yet there is this warmth. Is this perhaps what humans call l-love?“ He stumbled over the word he’d never thought he’d say, and his cheeks turned deep black, filled with the Void that flowed through his veins in place of a human’s blood.

Corvo’s own blush deepened when the Outsider confessed his feelings like that. How was he supposed to respond to that? "Well, love is a complex thing, built over time with much effort,” he elucidated. Emotions didn’t seem natural to the Outsider so it seemed proper for him to help the being. "Infatuation is a possibility, however, and that often leads to love,“ he offered. The Serkonan man wouldn’t be quick to admit it, but he was starting to realize his own infatuation with the Outsider.

"Infatuation? Ah, I believe I am familiar with the concept,” the Outsider remarked. He finally relaxed his legs from their sitting position, then floated over close to Corvo. He slowly reached out and gently placed his hand upon Corvo’s cheek, though he quickly recoiled his hand in shock whilst the older-looking man similarly took a step back. "Humans are much warmer than I thought,“ he said in wonder as he examined his hand. The palm was more ashen than previously from the sudden increase in heat which caused the Void within him to react much the same as the blood of a human.

Corvo meanwhile held his Marked hand against his cheek in the hopes of warming the skin back up. "And you are freezingly cold,” he replied with a mix of fright and awe. Being too physically close with the Outsider might be bad for his health but it was a unique experience.

“I’m afraid that’s part of the Void, my Dearest Corvo. Can’t say I truly realized how cold I am compared to you humans though,” he said with a sorrowful sigh. All these new emotions were budding within him along with new wants and desires just beginning to emerge, but he couldn’t in good conscience act upon them. "Perhaps this is why I shouldn’t yearn for humans like yours—"

In a sudden burst of passion Corvo stepped forth and cut off the Outsider’s words by pulling him close and kissing him on the lips. It wasn’t anything intense since he didn’t want to overwhelm the inexperienced entity, nor was it terribly long due to Corvo’s rapidly dropping body temperature, but it was enough to silence any doubts the Outsider may have had. When his body began to shiver he released his hold on the Outsider and stepped back.

The Outsider’s eyes were wide in shock after that display. His lips burned like they were on fire, yet he didn’t find it unpleasant. Rather the opposite really. He tentatively brought his fingers to his lips to feel the warmth more as he watched Corvo shiver. “That was a kiss, was it not? I think I,” he trailed off for a moment as his cheeks went grey. “I think I rather enjoyed it,” he finished after a moment.

“I’m glad, for I enjoyed it as well,” Corvo replied once his body temperature had restabilized. “I’m glad you brought me here, Outsider, I–”

“Levi,” the Outsider said suddenly to interrupt Corvo.

“I, er, what?” Corvo asked in confusion.

“‘The Outsider’ is my title. I do not recall my human name, but if I were to have a name, I would like the name ‘Levi.’ And I would like for you to call me that, between just the two of us,” the Outsider explained.

That was an odd request. “All right, I shall do so, Levi,” Corvo agreed with a nod. It was nice to have a name for the Outsider anyway. He ran his hand through his hair as he thought about how to finish what he was going to say. “This was very nice, Levi. I am glad that you brought me here, but I think I should get going. Unfortunately I’m feeling rather drained. But I will talk to Emily, and I will set up at least one Shrine in my chambers for you to visit,” he promised.

The Outsider smiled at that. A real, genuine smile for the first time in so very, very long. “I will hold you to that, my Dearest Corvo. But now go, back to your world and your Little Empress,” he said as he disappeared in a cloud of inky blackness.

Moments later, Corvo awoke in his bed to see light streaming in through the windows. Morning already. Convenient timing. When he got up, he took some old Runes and Bone Charms and set up a makeshift Shrine to the Outsider, then he would go talk to Emily. For once the various servants and officials around the Palace saw Corvo with a smile on his face, and they could only wonder why…


End file.
